With plastics’ inherently low friction properties, designers often eliminate the need for external lubrication while reducing potential damage to mating surfaces.

In order to determine the best material for your application, consideration must be given to:

• Linear velocity
• Unit Pressure
• Bearing Clearances
• Ambient temperature
• Exposure to chemicals
• Cycle times

Tivar 1000 (UHMW) chain guides are FDA, 3A Dairy and USDA compliant. Tivar’s self lubricating properties will result in longer chain life for your units as well as quieter operation.

Polycarbonate machine guards offer the high impact strength required to provide safety while maintaining the optical clarity required to effectively operate your equipment. Polycarbonate’s relatively good chemical resistance make it resistant to breakdown and crazing that can occur with other amorphous plastics.

LVP’s unique combination of CNC cutting, machining, fabrication and assembly operations make us the best choice for high quality machine guards and panels.

Please send us your requirements or contact LVP and we will be glad to work with you to design machine guards that are functional as well as visually appealing.

Plastic Corner Tracks are a cost effective solution to reduce downtime while providing the added benefit of superior wear resistance, noise reduction along with corrosion/chemical resistance.
These items are available in several FDA and USDA compliant grades of UHMW as well as Nylatron for more demanding applications.

• Corner Tracks are available for Tab, Bevel and Combination designs for both carriers and returns.
• Corner Tracks can include straight extensions at each end to provide the smoothest transition possible between turns and straight sections.
• Standard 10 ft straight lengths are available for Tab, Bevel and Combination designs.
• Corner Tracks can be manufactured to accommodate multiple lanes.
  Corner tracks are supplied in 90° sections unless otherwise specified.

Tivar guides and wear strips are easy to install and offer superior life for conveyor belts, chains and other dynamic applications. Tivar can reduce noise levels up to 50%. UHMW weighs only 1/8 as much as steel but can outlast it 3:1 in most conveyor applications.

Guide Rails

Tivar UltraRail features a new “C” – design stainless steel sheath that provides several advantages:

• Greater strength
• Requires fewer brackets
• Can hold tighter radii without twisting
• Works well in multi-directional bends
• Easy to perform CIP

Tivar UltraRail assemblies fit existing clips and mounting brackets.

Wear Strips

Tivar J-Leg and snap-on wear strips are excellent for use with modular belts, steel grate bakery chains and flat top conveyor chains

J-Legs wear strips are available is several sizes and length, please contact LVP with your specifications for quote.
Snap-ons wear strips are available in straight lengths and coils.
Wear-Max snap-on profiles are ideal for the most demanding applications where longer wear life and greater stability are required.

Plastic starwheels and guides are light weight which make them easier to handle during installation. This allows for quicker change over and less downtime so your equipment spends more time operating and less time sitting.

Starwheels and guides are offered in several grades of UHMW, Nylon, Acetal and Ertalyte PET for the most demanding applications. These parts can be color coded to match other components such as augers to assure that the proper part gets put on your equipment at each change over.

Plastic starwheels and guides are considered non-abrasive to PET-G, glass, tin and aluminum containers which allows for high speed operation of your equipment without the risk of damage to the end product.

Plastic gears have been widely accepted as a way to reduce wear against mating parts and run quietly without any need for external lubrication. Materials such as Acetal and Nylon are non-corrosive and offer the excellent mechanical properties required for helical, spur, worm and bevel gears. UHMW is commonly chosen for use in sprocket applications where lower coefficient of friction and impact strength are important.

Although metal gears have higher mechanical properties, the ductility/resiliency of plastic allow for “flex” in the gear tooth when mating with a metal gear. Plastic gears are often used as a low cost “sacrificial” component that will prevent damage to more expensive parts of your equipment.

Plastic gears work best as an idler gear in combination with metal gears. However, plastic on plastic assemblies can work if designed from dissimilar materials.

In order to successfully design your gear or sprocket and derive the maximum benefit that plastics have to offer several factors such as backlash, root radius etc must be taken into consideration.

Please contact LVP with your specific requirements and we will be happy to assist you.

Not only are plastic pulleys are light weight (7 – 8 X lighter than steel), corrosion resistant, and reduce noise levels, but they can extend the cable life of your units up to 4 X!

Studies have concluded that at stress levels < 30% of the ultimate wire rope strength plastic pulleys provide excellent results in cable longevity.

Similar to plastic rollers, in some low load/velocity applications plastic pulleys can be run directly on the mating shaft. Bronze bushings, and in some cases roller bearings are recommended to allow for free movement without risk of damage to the pulley.

Contact LVP about your application to determine the best option for you.

Plastic rollers contain the perfect balance of vibration dampening, hardness, abrasion resistance and coefficient of friction that fills the niche when metals are too hard and elastomers are too soft.

Important considerations when deciding if plastic rollers are meant for your application are:

• The amount of load put on the roller
• The RPM’s the roller will turn
• Whether the roller is in a continuous use application or will have withstand static load.
• Operating temperatures

Due to the self-lubricating properties of plastic, it is possible to run the plastic directly on the supporting shaft. This is the least costly option and is typically used in applications where the limiting PV is low and usage is not continuous. More demanding applications may call for the installation of a bronze bushing or possibly roller bearings. In applications where that roller will be exposed to side load, a means of mechanical fastening such as snap rings will reduce the potential of axial movement.

Plastics offer an excellent low cost, lighter weight alternative to traditional bronze and stainless steel components. Many plastics such as Acetal and Ertalyte PET offer excellent mechanical strength, dimensional stability and are non-staining which make them great options for food processing applications.

With all the possible choices of plastic materials the prospect of choosing the correct material for your application can be an intimidating task.

Please contact LVP with your specific requirements and put our expertise to the test.